Not applicable.
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to decorative wheel trim components for use on vehicle wheels. More particularly, this invention relates to an improved retention structure for holding a wheel trim component to a vehicle wheel having stylized lug nuts, wherein the retention structure is not visible once the wheel trim component is snap-fastened to the vehicle wheel.
2. Description of the Related Art
Wheel trim components such as hubcaps and full-face wheel covers are often used to adorn a vehicle wheel for improved aesthetic appearance. As such, it is very important that certain unattractive functional features, such as retention elements, are not visible once the wheel trim component is fastened to the vehicle wheel.
Plastic wheel covers are increasingly being used in the automotive industry to adorn vehicle wheels by attaching them to lug nuts of the vehicle wheel. Unfortunately, due to heat from braking the vehicle, wheel and lug nut temperatures are often too high to be directly connected to standard plastic material. Therefore, many vehicle wheel applications necessitate use of an intermediate fastener disposed between the plastic wheel cover and the lug nuts, so as to insulate the plastic from the heat of the lug nuts, and provide a snap fit of the wheel cover to the lug nuts.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,316,638 to Spisak teaches a retaining arrangement for holding a wheel trim assembly on a wheel, wherein resiliency of the retaining arrangement is effective to hold the wheel trim to the wheel and to hold the retaining arrangement in place on the wheel trim. Spisak discloses a plastic cup-shaped trim member having spring-like metal retainers fastened thereto. The trim member connects to a vehicle wheel having lug nuts extending therefrom. The trim member includes axial openings therethrough that correspond to the lug nuts. Associated with each axial opening is a radial pocket formed on an inside wall of the trim member. Each pocket securely retains a metal retaining element that extends radially outwardly through the associated radial opening. Each metal retaining element terminates in a blade portion that is adapted to bitingly engage its respective lug nut. Unfortunately, each metal retaining element is necessarily visible when the wheel trim mounted to the wheel is viewed normally thereto.
Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 4,457,560 to Rowe et al. teaches a plastic hubcap having metal retention structure for attachment to decorative lug nuts. Rowe et al. recognize that it may be desirable to leave decorative lug nuts exposed in conjunction with a hubcap, but that such exposed fasteners impose design restrictions on incorporating metal retention structure by which the hubcap is retained to the wheel. As a solution, Rowe et al. disclose a metal retention element secured to the underside of a plastic hubcap with lanced tabs formed in the retention element that engage plastic pins integrally projecting from the underside of the plastic hubcap. The metal retention element includes retention tabs arranged in a pattern that corresponds to the pattern of decorative lug nuts that project through apertures in the plastic hubcap. The retention tabs retentively engage respective decorative lug nuts. Each retention tab is of circular contour coextensive with a radially inner edge of the corresponding aperture and engages a radially inner periphery of the respective decorative lug nut. Unfortunately, the retention tabs of Rowe et al. are necessarily visible when the wheel trim, as mounted to the wheel, is viewed normally thereto.
For the very same reason that it is desirable to leave decorative lug nuts exposed to view when a wheel trim component is mounted to a wheel, it is not at all desirable to leave a purely functional retaining element exposed. Such an exposed arrangement of retention structure actually detracts from, rather than enhances, the overall aesthetic appearance of the vehicle wheel. This is particularly problematic since the metal retention structure involves use of spring steel that is usually very dark in appearance, in contrast to the adjacent bright chrome lug nuts. Unfortunately, both Spisak and Rowe et al. leave such metal retention structure exposed to view.
From the above, it can be appreciated that the metal retention structure for use with plastic hubcaps of the prior art is not fully optimized for use with exposed decorative lug nuts extending through apertures of a wheel trim component. Therefore, what is needed is a plastic wheel trim component that concealingly integrates metal retention structure for attachment to decorative lug nuts, such that an uninterrupted chrome appearance is provided.
According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a wheel trim assembly for use in combination with a wheel that has lug nuts extending in an axially outboard direction therefrom. The wheel trim assembly includes a wheel cover having an inboard face facing the wheel, and an array of apertures extending through the wheel cover. The apertures correspond to the lug nuts such that the lug nuts align with and extend axially through the apertures when the wheel cover is assembled to the wheel. Retainers are secured to the inboard face of the wheel cover and have resilient tabs arranged approximately concentric with each corresponding aperturand of the wheel cover. The resilient tabs extend radially inwardly toward the center of each corresponding aperture and extend axially inboard from the inboard face of the wheel cover. As the wheel trim assembly is assembled to the lug nuts of the wheel, the resilient tabs engage the corresponding lug nuts to retain the wheel trim assembly to the wheel such that the retainers are not visible when the wheel trim assembly is viewed from a direction normal to the outboard face of the wheel cover. Furthermore, the apertures are sized in relation to annular flanges on the lug nuts and to the resilient tabs of the retainers such that the retainers are concealed from view and therefore a continuous chrome appearance is achieved.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a wheel cover that permits display of decorative lug nuts therethrough.
It is another object to provide a wheel cover that attaches to decorative lug nuts of a wheel in a manner that exposes the decorative lug nuts to view.
It is a still another object to provide a wheel cover assembly that removably snap-fastens to decorative lug nuts of a wheel using a resilient retainer integrally fastened to a wheel cover, wherein the resilient retainer is concealed by the wheel cover and is not exposed to view.
These objects and other features, aspects, and advantages of this invention will be more apparent after a reading of the following detailed description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings.